


Chest Monster

by Fire_Bear



Series: PrUK Week 2018 [6]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: (sort of), Alternate Universe - Magic, Day 6, Demon Deals, Demons, Exploration, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, PrUK Week 2018, Wizards, of a cave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 02:36:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15014807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: Arthur is determined to learn as much magic as he can, so when he hears about magic hidden in a cave system, he decides to go find it. Unfortunately, there is an unexpected surprise...





	Chest Monster

**Author's Note:**

> I got the title from a TV Trope after giving up on knowing what to call it.

Arthur picked his way over the rocky terrain, careful not to sprain his ankle. Out here, he couldn’t afford to get injured. Just healing himself would drain him of his energy and he would have to rest, adding time to his journey. He was determined to return to the inn as soon as he could so that Minty wasn’t sold in his prolonged absence. Again. Not that he couldn’t find her wherever she was in the world but dealing with the tossers who had sold her would be a pain.

High overhead, the sun shone down onto his - thankfully - covered head, his wide-brimmed hat keeping the worst of it off him. It also showed him the valley in all its glory. A shrunken river tumbled over the rocks to his side, far lower than normal; it hadn’t rained for a while, the locals had said, still marvelling at the good weather. On the side he travelled along, the bare riverbed fitted snug against a cliff-face. Across the river, the land sloped almost lazily away from the river, nearly flat. It was almost as if it couldn’t be bothered to form the same steep incline. The forest that grew at the top of the small slope obscured Arthur’s view on that side, though he knew the forest was deep with many secrets - he had already travelled through it, many spring-seasons ago.

Eventually, the wizard reached the rocks he had been headed for. They formed an easier way to climb up to the cliff and to the cave that was set into its side. Arthur shrank the staff he had been carrying into its wand form and tucked it into his belt. Then he reached up and hauled himself onto the first one, eyes fixed on his goal. With a little murmured magic, he was able to scale the path he had picked with ease.

This cave system, Arthur had been told, held a secret magic that no-one knew how to use. Quite how anyone knew about it in that case was anyone’s guess. But Arthur had decided to check it out: at the very least, it would be an interesting escapade. He hoped, however, that he might further his quest. His heart was pounding with both anticipation and exertion as he reached the cave mouth.

He had sworn to himself, when he had learnt how strong his magic was, that he would learn every type of magic and every spell that he could. Having seen the famous witches and wizards being lauded while he and his family were struggling to get by, Arthur had been determined to become the most powerful wizard he could. There were already those who knew his name, who called on him in times of need. He was always happy to oblige them. His family were convinced he was a genius, though they didn’t understand his obsession with finding every magic possible.

At the moment, Arthur conjured a ball of flame and sent it up and forwards a little to light his path. Then he stepped into the cave, looking around at the bare walls as he removed his hat to squeeze it into his magical satchel. There were remnants of several camps here and, if he had wanted to, he could have used a spell to find out how long ago those little fires had been lit. Otherwise, there was nothing interesting - save for the openings at the back of the space. Grinning in triumph, Arthur started down the first one, hopefully upbeat.

Quite some time later, Arthur had found nothing, was making his way down the final path and was scowling as he walked. Apparently, someone’s information had been false. Either that or someone had already beaten him to it. If it was the latter, he was going to have to question those at the inn to find out if they remembered anyone. Had there been only one campsite in the vicinity, he would have used that to use a memory spell to find out who it had been but, with multiples, he had no choice to be polite to people who would fleece him for everything he had.

His fuming was interrupted when he suddenly came across a wide space. It was a shock after being in the cramped tunnel and he gazed around with wide eyes, almost unable to believe it. The inner cave wasn’t much bigger than the one above him, short stalagmites and stalactites growing from the firm rock. Arthur moved further in, weaving his way through them as he looked around. There didn’t seem to be anything interesting at first glance, only drops of water dripping from the stalactites to catch his attention.

Then he reached the back of the cave and he found the tell-tale shimmer of a concealing spell. Eyes lighting up, he darted towards it, hand already raised to release a simple spell. He stopped a foot from the shimmering and released the spell, surprised when it rebounded. Humming in consideration, he tilted his head from side to side and realised that the shimmering was old, strong enough to last through generations. Interested, he pulled out his wand and muttered the same spell, pressing the tip to the tangible spell. The air trembled and the spell solidified, letting Arthur see the room reflected in it. Determined, Arthur transformed the wand back into his staff and thumped it on the ground, drawing strength from the magic within the earth. This was a technique he had learnt helped strengthen his spells and, this time, when he murmured the revealing spell, the concealing spell shattered and dissipated.

Behind it, Arthur found a large, wooden chest. Parts of it seemed to be rotting, the brown a faded colour. Mould and moss grew on some of the corners. A musty smell reached Arthur’s nose and his face screwed up in disgust. Whatever was in here must be ancient.

Forcing aside his disgust, Arthur stepped closer and ran his hands over it, using another technique to feel for magic traps. It was one of the first things he had learnt when he chose to leave his home. Of course, he had graduated from the Magic Academy young and he was still eager to learn. He’d tagged along on an elder student’s project and witnessed it. The magic was simple enough, from a different sort than what he had used to help him break the concealing spell. Arthur kept hold of the magic he had gained from the use of his staff to boost its probing until he was satisfied. There was definitely something magic within the box but nothing would harm him.

Unless the item inside was designed to harm whoever looked at it.

Leaving that for later, Arthur unlocked the box with his magic and opened the lid. Instantly, a pulse of magic - or what felt like it - escaped its confines. Arthur flinched back, bracing himself for some sort of curse to be placed on him or the walls to start falling in. Evidently, his probing spell hadn’t worked, though he had been _certain_ that it had. Something magical touched him, but only briefly and Arthur couldn’t work out what it was. It had been a magic that seemed warped, impossible, and the touch seemed so insignificant that he couldn’t make head or tails of the spell.

When nothing else seemed to happen, Arthur straightened and frowned at the chest. Cautiously, he peered inside. It was empty. Confused, Arthur shifted slightly and his boot hit a stone, sending it rattling away. Arthur glanced at it before turning away - and had to do a double-take. On the floor was a pointed piece of rock which looked as though it had been sheared from a stalactite or stalagmite. Slowly, he turned to look at the cave.

To his surprise, every single rock formation had broken off, leaving flattened protrusions from the roof and floor. He stared at the nearest, wondering what magic could have done that and why he had been left unharmed. Turning more, he looked back towards the entrance - and froze. There was someone else here with him, curled up on the floor. Tense, Arthur watched as they twitched and, suddenly, straightened, climbing to their feet and stretching.

His magical light glowed warmly on the man’s white hair, attractively messy. He wore an all black, posh suit - even the shirt and tie were black. Shiny shoes winked as Arthur’s light flickered above them. Curving around his waist was what looked to be a tail, the tip of it like an arrowhead which was pointed straight at Arthur. Behind him, large, bat-like wings were folded against his back, though he stretched them once he was standing at his full height. Heart hammering, Arthur met his eyes and saw that they glowed red.

“Dammit all,” said the man - no, _demon_. “A _human_?”

“You’re…” Arthur breathed, limbs locked in place. His light flickered with his agitation.

“Gilbert.”

Arthur blinked a few times. “What?”

“I’m… Gilbert,” said the demon, slowly. “And you are…?”

Rousing himself, Arthur shifted to a fighting stance, placing his staff in front of him. “It doesn’t matter who I am - I will exorcise you.”

“No can do.” The demon rolled his eyes. “I’m bound to you now.”

“What?!” Arthur exclaimed. He wanted to protest it, say he must be mistaken, but he knew then what the little bit of magic he’d felt before must have been. This trip was not turning into a productive one.

“It’s my punishment,” the demon - Gilbert - replied. He stretched his arms over his head, clasping his hands together and grunting as he worked out his kinks. “Locked in a chest for eternity and, in case someone opened it, bound to them for however long they lived.”

Tightening his grip on his staff, Arthur quickly ran through all of his defensive spells. If the demon was bound to him, there was no way he could exorcise him now. Should Gilbert decide to kill him, he would have to fight. “And what do you plan on doing about it?”

Grinning, Gilbert dropped his arms, putting his hands on his hips. “Well, that depends. Will you tell me your name?”

He thought it over for a moment before obliging. There wasn’t really much that Gilbert could do to him, now that they were magically linked. “Arthur.”

“Nice name. And I’m not planning on doing anything,” Gilbert told him. “I… There is no way for me to break this bond. Nor can a mere human. You could exorcise me, I suppose, if you do it now, before the bond becomes any deeper.”

“Then I’ll do that,” said Arthur, pointing the end of his staff at the demon.

Gilbert’s eyes widened. “Wait! Are you really going to do it, just like that? I could make you a deal.”

“And, if I did that, the bond will become deeper and I won’t be able to kill you,” Arthur surmised. “I am not a fool.”

“That’s not what I meant,” said Gilbert. “I… Wait, could you put that down? You pointing that at me is making me nervous.”

Scowling, Arthur tilted the staff back up, though he kept a tight grip on it as he settled it on the floor. “What did you mean?”

There was a sudden, strange tugging sensation in Arthur’s chest. Startled, he clapped a hand over his heart, wondering what that could possibly have been. When he looked back at Gilbert, the demon was smirking. “I know what you want.”

“For you to leave me alone,” Arthur replied, frowning at him.

“You want to learn magic. More of it.”

“I can do that without you,” said Arthur, unimpressed.

“Yes, you can,” said Gilbert, all nonchalance. He shrugged. “But when and where will you learn demonic magic?”

Arthur stilled, not breathing as the implications sank in. Demonic magic. He hadn’t even known there was a way to learn that. It was true that no human would be able to teach it to him, no texts would help him and no other demon would offer this. This could very well be his chance to increase his magical prowess - but at what cost?

“What would that do to me?” Arthur asked, trying not to sound interested.

Gilbert’s smirk widened, a shiver running down Arthur’s spine. He tried to keep still, regardless. “I’ve never tried to teach a human my magic,” Gilbert said. “I doubt anything bad would happen.”

The wizard didn’t trust him. But the thought of learning something new, something unique, was enticing. Arthur bit his lip. To his knowledge, anything demonic tainted a person or the world around them. How much would it affect Arthur? Could he ward it off with the Holy Magic he had acquired?

“You’re taking too long,” said Gilbert, cutting through his thoughts. He sounded like he was beginning to get irritated, though his smirk was still in place. “Make a decision already. It’s not that hard. New magic or getting rid of me.”

“There are other factors to consider-” Arthur began.

“Bullshit.” Gilbert stepped closer, stopping when Arthur pointed his staff at him. “It’s either one or the other.”

Arthur stared at him, trying to spot the guile and the lies in Gilbert’s eyes. But the demon’s intense gaze gave nothing away. They stared at each other for a long time, Arthur’s thoughts skittering around all the possible ways this could go wrong. However, he kept coming back to what would happen if it went right, the prestige he would gain, the fortune he could send to his family, the pure knowledge.

Finally, he changed his staff back into his wand and tucked it into his belt. “We’re not doing this here,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Gilbert laughed in delight, the hissing noise making Arthur shudder. “Yeah,” he said. “Let’s.”


End file.
